The present invention relates to a private branch exchange (PBX) which connects to voice store equipment and supplies a message to an outside line, voice store equipment connected to the PBX, a message processing method in the PBX and the voice store equipment, a program for executing the processing method and a recording medium on which the program is recorded.
FIG. 15 is an operation explanatory drawing of the operation of in related art PBX and voice store equipment.
In FIG. 15, a numeral 1 represents a PBX which controls interconnection of its built-in voice store equipment 2 or extension station 3, 4 mentioned later and an outside line, and 2 voice store equipment which supplies a guidance message in response to an incoming call from the outside line.
Processing of an absence message in the PBX, extension station and voice store equipment thus configured is described below.
When the user of the extension station 3, 4 leaves his/her desk, he/she sets the reason for the absence on the extension station 3, 4. Contents of setting include text data such as “Go Home” and “In a Meeting” and text data plus numerical data such as “Back at %%: %%” (where %% is the time he/she will return) When an incoming call from another extension station terminates to an extension station where the reason for absence is set, for example when an incoming call from the extension station 3 terminates to the extension station 4, text data of the reason for absence set to the called extension station 3 is displayed on the LCD 31 of the calling extension station 4 while the bell is ringing.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the related art absence message processing.
In FIG. 16, the PBX system determines whether the called extension (distant extension for example the extension station 4) is busy (S1). In case it is determined that the called extension is not busy, the PBX system determines whether an absence message to an extension is set (S2). In case it is determined that the absence message is set, the PBX system fetches the contents of the absentee message (S3) and displays them on the LCD 31 of the calling extension (home extension, for example the extension station 3) (S4). In case it is determined that the called extension is busy, a busy signal is transmitted from the called party to the calling party (S5). In case it is determined that the absence message to the extension is not set, the PBX system alerts the distant extension (S6).
In such a PBX system, in case a call from an outside line terminates to the voice store equipment 2 and the call is transferred to an extension station requested by the caller, for example the extension station 4, the voice store equipment 2 performs only the regular operation for the absence of the called party. For example, the voice store equipment supplies an OGM (personal greeting message) to the effect that “Sorry, cannot answer your call. Please record your message.” and performs message recording.
In this way, related art PBX and voice store equipment has a problem that an absence message set to an extension station is not supplied in response to and incoming from an outside line, so the reason for absence is not known and the absence message is not efficiently utilized.
It is requested that the PBX, voice store equipment, message processing method, program and recording medium efficiently utilize an absence message set to an extension station by transmitting the message over an outside line in response to an incoming call via the outside line.